Noncollapsible nipple



v D. B. BROADWATER.

NQN-COLLAPSIBLE NIPPLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25,1920.

1,401,958. Patented Jan- 3, .1922.

UNITED ST Fifiii.

DAVID B. BROADWATEBI, OF MILLVILLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OFONE-TWENTIETH TO WARNER K. PIERCE, OF BRIDGEION, NEW JERSEY.

NONCOLLAPSIBLE NIPPLE.

Application filed May 25, 1920.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID B. BROAD- warrnn, acitizen of the United States, residing at Millville, county ofCumberland, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Noncollapsible Nipples, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to nipples of the type used in connection withnursing bottles for infants. Heretofore, in the use of well known typesof nipples, considerable trouble in the feeding of infants arose fromthe fact that the sucking of theinfant tends to create a vacuum in thenursing bottle, which results in contraction of the nipple withconsequent shutting off of the flow of milk. The vacuum may draw thenipple partially into the neck of the bottle or cause its walls to sticktogether. In any event, the flow of milk is stopped and the infant isirritated and becomes fretful. The only method of remedying thecondition is to remove the bottle from the infant and manipulate thenipple until air enters its interior and satisfies the vacuum.

The object of my invention is to provide means, applicable to any wellknown type of nipple, which will tend to prevent the creation of avacuum within the bottle and consequent contraction of the nipple andshut ting off of the flow of milk, and which will maintain a free airpassage through the interior of the nipple, despite any tendency ofvacuum to close it, so that if a vacuum is created the nipple cannot 'beentirely contracted and. the vacuum will be immediately satisfied.

I will now describe my invention, in detail, with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which I have illustrated a preferred embodimentthereof and in which Fig. l is a plan view of the device embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device embodying my invention.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a nipple, with the device embodying myinvention, indicated by dotted lines, in position.

Fig. 4c is an end view of the device embodying my invention.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 3, 1922.

Serial No. 384,021.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device embodying my invention.

The device is formed from a piece of spring steel, or. other suitablematerial, bent upon itself to form a pair of legs or shanks a, a. Theends of the shanks are curved outwardly and inwardly to form thespoonshaped members I), which when taken together form a head. That partof the legs adjacent the spoon-shaped members is contracted as at c andthe legs slitted from near the juncture, through the spoon shapedmembers, to the ends as at d.

The device as described and shown in perspective in Figure 5 is insertedinto the interior of a nipple e, the head formed by the spoon-shapedmembers being within the head f of the'nipple, while the legs or shanksextend outward to a point beyond the contract ed neck 9 of the nipple.

It will be noted that the spoon-shaped members 6 and the legs a tend tospread apart and bear against the inner wall of the nipple, maintainingthe device in place and keeping the walls of the nipple apart.

If now the nipple is applied to a nursing bottle in the usual manner andpresented to an infant, when the infant bites on the nipple thespoon-shaped members will be con tracted and regardless of the directionof pressure will assume a somewhat flattened form. Due to thespoon-shaped ends of the legs a and to the slits cl, the ends cannot bepressed together so closely as to cut oflI' the flow of milk, and apassage for milk through the nipple will be constantly kept open. If avacuum tends to form, the device will resist the tendency of the nippleto contract and upon release by the infant will expand the nipple, causean inflow of air, and effect the breaking of the vacuum.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a flexible and elastic nipple, of a springextending longitudinally within the nipple comprising opposing membersconnected together at the end thereof nearest the open end'of the nippleand separated at the end thereof with in the orificed head of thenipple.

. 2. The combination with a flexible and elastic nipple, of a springcomprising a ii -Ml the free ends of which extend into the nip ple head,each of said legs being slitted longitudinally from its free end. I

5. The combination with a flexible and elastic nipple, of an insertedspring strip bent upon itself to form two opposed legs, each leg beingshaped to form a spoonshaped head the convex side of which is oppositeone inner wall of the nipple head, each leg being split longitudinallythrough its head and a portion of its shank.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, atMillville, N. l, on this 21st day of May, 1920.

DAVID B. BROADWATER.

